New turf opens August 25

EOU celebrates official turf opening 

August 21, 2018 La Grande, Ore. − Eastern Oregon University football will compete on a brand-new synthetic turf field at Community Stadium for the first time August 25.

The Mountaineers open their 2018 football season against College of Idaho at 6 p.m., and festivities begin at 3 p.m., in the Mary Horn–Edward Jones Tailgate Zone. Fans, alumni and donors will celebrate with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony on the field before the opening coin toss.

“The response so far has been incredible,” Athletic Director Anji Weissenfluh said. “I’m really grateful for how far we’ve come, but we still need help in crossing the finish line.”

The “Building Champions” campaign has raised more than $2.1 million thus far to pay for the new multipurpose turf, updated stadium lighting and completely overhauled track facilities at EOU. The new state-of-the-art running surface is slated to open in time for the beginning of classes in late September. The university still needs to raise an additional $750,000 to complete the project. More information is available at eou.edu/stadium-track.

The Mary Horn-Edward Jones Tailgate Zone, located on Sixth Street and H Avenue, opens three hours prior to every home football game. The Mountaineers are at home Sept. 1, Sept. 22, Oct. 20 (Homecoming) and Nov. 3. Visit eou.edu/alumni/tailgate or call 541-962-3740 to learn more and reserve a space.